What went wrong after the 16th of February 2011?

When Scott asked me to write a few words about what went wrong after February 2011, season of the last high altitude flight for FCSP in the Bundesliga, I have to admit that I started scratching my head. 2011 looked so distant with a first look and my initial thought was to respond that I’m not in a position to help. However, after the initial, typical for the South End Scum “press officer” lazy reaction and some more mature consideration (you don’t say no to Scott when he asks for assistance 😉 ), the past started unfolding relatively quickly in front of me…

Travelled back some 7 years ago, recalled the fuckin’ smoke bomb, courtesy of the H$V wanking mob, which was found in the guest block and led to the postponement of the derby and the two Athens guys that were there for the game and returned back on Monday without having seen the Volksparkstadion derby. I also still remember the pricks of the “philosophical coffee shop” which had reserved the bar loft at our football venue on the actual day of the match, and regardless the fact that they were 6-7 and us 60-70 (not all people in the house FCSP fans but when I turned and looked back after the goal because of the noise, there was not a single person sitting down  ) they denied to exchange places with us and move to level floor, something that they paid big time, especially after Asamoah’s goal, practically unable to proceed with their philosophical quests, mainly because of the chaos that prevailed 

I still remember THE MADNESS around me, right after Asamoah’s goal, my club pals having gone bananas like me and the whole bar having turned to a spectacle that for some strange reason, even now with memories slightly faded, still reminds me the front cover of “The Number Of The Beast”:D I also remember (how could I forget) the party that followed afterwards, with some 15 of us (the core!) going crazy from bar to bar in a state of absolute bliss, not giving a fuck about anything, obsessed by victorious euphoria. I even remember the guy who appeared out of the blue and nobody knew, stating that he’s a sick USP, only to disappear after a couple of weeks and be taken for a secret cop, a theory that fell through some 3 years later, around midnight at the Fanraüme when the guy appeared again in front of me, again out of the blue 😀

Enough of Scum Golden Memories (chic), question was about what went wrong after the glorious evening of 16/2/11 and led us directly back when we came from, Liga 2… Well, well… everything actually. Lack of quality, lack of experience, lack of focus and, towards the end, lack of personnel.

Club decided not to act crazy, unlike previous times in the top tier that led the Club not just where it came from but even lower, reaching at a certain point the brink of bankruptcy and absolute destruction. No crazy funds were spent, our most prestigious transfer was half-veteran Gerald Asamoah, who may have written his name with capital letters in the Brown White history thanks to the Volksparkstadion goal but his total contribution (6 goals) was simply not enough, plus a few other additions. Actually Stani didn’t do bad at all considering the money we spent back then and comparing them with the apparently thicker wallets of our rivals. He built a militant squad who did really well during the 2/3 of the season but he couldn’t add the depth required in order to handle the wear due to injuries, cards, fatigue etc. The spectacle of our press officer at the end of the brown white bench in order not to cover the match or something but to PLAY in case he was required to, due to the total annihilation of our defensive line, somewhere in the middle of the 2nd round speaks for itself…

Countless points were lost also during the closing stages of many matches, I cannot recall the exact details but for sure I remember the joke back then – if football was a game of 80’ at the end of the season we would probably end up in Europe instead of Liga 2. Of course there’s some degree of excess in this but it’s quite characteristic of the situation. Add to that the gradual loss of morale, result of consecutive slaps towards the end that led to the shame of 1-8 from Bayern at home (the word shame is quite heavy but Stani deserved much more than this horror in his last Millerntor match) and there you have it. Add the lack of luck to all the above and you have the perfect recipe for a perfect downhill (for the squad, was rather an uphill towards Golgatha for the fans ^^). Maybe a couple of more defenders available, a couple of more goals would make a difference. Unfortunately it didn’t happen and we ended up doomed well before the end of the season… I will never forget the home relegation derby vs Werder (I was there, in… Haupttribune (!?!)) when, after the final 1-3 that sent us straight to Hell even before May, squad made the most frozen round of applause around the stadium that I can remember, with even the Süd having frozen. There was only one loud “ST. PAULI!!!” during this round – it was heard from the Nord when squad passed in front of the guest block…

However, looking back, even if we were relegated and despite the grief towards the end, this was not such a bad season (!). We fought against all odds and superior opponents and we just didn’t make it. No comparison to the seasons of 2014-15 or 2016-17 that followed, regardless of their happy ending. A season in which we had the chance to live some of the greatest experiences of our brown white “career”. We didn’t make it into Volksparkstadion but we made it to Millerntor first round for a feast that was spoiled (and even this not completely) only 4’ before the end, thanks to this fuckin’ Petric rocket equalizer. We made it 31 people to Allianz Arena for the clash vs Bayern (lost only 3-0 and won them in shouting) and 15 for the Motörhead gig immediately afterwards at Freimann, just one metro stop from the game. Even the goosebumps when recollecting the Werder fans shouting “ST. PAULI” are still here…. No need to further mention the historic 0-1 of 16/2/11, after all we even made a fuckin’ cover about it 😀

Finally, was 2010-11 a bad season for FCSP or not? When you have Scott asking “what went wrong” this seems obvious but, if you ask the H$V fans, you may end up quite surprised 😉 After all this is the season that established us as the Bosses of the city, isn’t it???

Moreover, since then we’re just fine in Liga 2, our natural habitat (at least for the moment) Wouldn’t say no to another round of Bundesliga luxury but, believe me, the next time I will write something with the title “what went wrong”, it will be an article about promotion – if despite this, you see something really about relegation, this won’t be ours 😉